Hand protector



Jan. 3, 1939.

K. E. JENSEN A HAND PROTECTOR Filed Dec. 12, 1936 'J72Ue7zf07"; [Karl [FA/227256 72,

Jttorzzgga Patented Jan. 3, 1939 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAND PROTECTOR ration of Delaware Application December 12, 1936,. Serial No. 115,483

- 4 Claims.

The invention relates tohand protectors particularly of the type intended for industrial use and a general aim of the invention is to provide anew and improved protector of this type of sim- 5 ple, inexpensive construction and embodying novel reinforcing means at points especially subject to wear whereby the protector will withstand rough usage.

More specifically stated, an object of the invention is to provide a protective structure embodying a hand covering section and at least one digit section and having reinforcing members extending oppositely from the front and rear sides of the structure into overlying relation to each other and to the relatively weak portion which separates the two sections and in use is subject to excessive wear. Where the digit covering section is a thumb stall, the structure may include a relatively short reinforcing member extending forwardly from its rear side across the thumb stall crotch and. a longer reinforcing member extending rearwardly from its front side across the first mentioned reinforcing member and for a substantial distance over the rear face v of the structure.

Other objects and advantages will become apparent in the following description and from the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1- is a view of the rear side of a protector embodying the features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side view of said protector.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 33 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary side view with the overlying reinforcing sheet turned back to show the underlying construction.

Fig. 5 is a side viewshowing an alternative construction and having a section of the tongue of the overlying reinforcing sheet broken away 150 show the underlying construction.

Fig. 6 illustrates the shape of the blank from which the main body portion of the protector shown in Fig. 1 is formed.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications and alternative constructions, I

have shown in the drawing and will herein describe in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understood that I do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific form disclosed,

but intend to cover all modifications and alternative constructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention as expressed in the appended claims.

In the drawing, the invention is for illustrative purposes shown as being embodied in a hand protector of the type known as a hand pad and intended principally for industrial use in conjunction with or in place of a glove. Such a protector embodies a hand section 2 and a thumb stall section 3 which, in the embodiment illustrated in Fig. 1, may be formed for the most part from a single sheet of suitable wear resisting material such as leather. In forming the protector, a substantially regularly shaped blank may be used with little waste by cutting a slit or slot inwardly from one edge thereof toward the center of the blank and folding the blank along a line 4 substantially paralleling the slit to register an outer edge 5 of the blank with the adjacent marginal edge (designated 6) of said slit. This folded portion comprises the thumb stall and is completed by a line of stitching or the like along the blank edge 5 and the slit edge 6. On the other side of the slit, the blank is folded along a line 1 extending from the inner end of the slit and at approximately right angles thereto producing a protective curl (designated Ili adapted to extend about the side and rear faces of the index finger. This turns the associated marginal edge of the slit (designated 6 rearwardly and this marginal portion is secured to a continuation 5 of the, outer edge portion 5 of the blank. To definitely maintain the protective curl 18 and to provide another protective curl (designated l6) along the opposite side of the hand section, a strap or the like l5 may be secured to extend therebetween.

An overlying continuous reinforcing sheet [U shaped to overlie the front faces of the palm and thumb portions of the pad may be suitably secured thereto. Usually this sheet is provided with closely spaced metal staples l1, producing a better wearing surface. Any suitable means, suchas lines of metal staples 9, may be employed to secure the various parts of the assembly together.

In constructions of this character a weak portion may exist between the hand section and the thumb stall, which stall is generally reppresentative of any finger stall. The present invention provides means for strengthening and reinforcing this weaker crotch portion without substantially lessening the flexibility and mobility thereof. To this end, in one embodiment of the invention, the blank from which the main body of the pad is fashioned includes a projecting piece or tab 8. The tab may be formed integral with said blank, intermediate the outer edges 5 and 5 to project adjacent to the outer edge 5 in such manner as to be located adjacent to the inner ends of the registered blank and slit edges 5 and B when these edges are joined. This tab, as is shown in Fig. 4, is accordingly in position to be folded across the inner ends of the joined edges into overlying relation with the front or palm side of the pad. One thickness of crotch reinforcement is thus provided by the tube 8 and the tab may be short to terminate relatively close to the crotch.

Further reinforcement of the thumb stall crotch is afforded by an extended part of the reenforcing sheet In and may take the form of a second projection or tongue II which is integral with the overlying reinforcing sheet I i) and extends from a point between the palm and thumb stall overlying portions thereof rearwardly across the crotch. The tongue II is of substantial length so that when the sheet I!) is secured in place, the tongue extends through the crotch in overlying relation to the tab 8. It is preferred that the rearwardly extending tongue H be of such a length as to overlie the thumb stall crotch and a substantial portion of the rear face of the hand pad for stronger construction. Such means as the metal staples 9 may be used to secure the tongue II and tab 8 in proper relation to each other and to the crotch.

An alternative construction, which uses one additional piece but is preferred from a manufacturing and a material saving standpoint is shown in Fig. 5. In this form the edges 5 and 6 of the blank do not meet as shown in Fig. l but are cut away to leave a gap therebetween which is closed by a sewed on insert I2 having an edge portion I3 secured to the blank edge, corresponding to the edge 6*, and an opposite edge portion l4 joined with the blank edge that corresponds to the edge 5. A projection or tab 8 formed integrally with the insert I2 is so located that, when the parts are assembled, it will overlie the thumb stall crotch and extend a short distance beyond onto the palm section as in the case of the tab 8 (Fig. 4). The projection H on the reinforcing sheet l0 extends across the crotch in overlying relation to said tab 8 and said crotch the parts being secured together in the manner previously described. It is preferred in either form that the rearwardly extending tongue II on the reinforcing sheet [0 overlie the forwardly extending tab 8 (or 8 to provide protection for the end thereof which otherwise would be exposed on the wearing surface of the hand pad.

It will be evident from the foregoing that the invention provides a permanently strengthened crotch structure which will withstand hard usage since the overlying relationship of the two reenforcing parts renders the crotch more durable and Wear resisting. The double thickness does not materially interfere with bending and flexing at the base of the crotch. Moreover the means by which the weaker portion of the device is reinforced may be employed without increasing the cost of a device which is not so strengthened.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a hand protector, the combination of a covering member having a hand section and a thumb stall, an auxiliary strip integral with a part of the rear side of the protector adjacent to the thumb stall and extended in overlying relation to the crotch between said hand section and thumb stall, and an overlying reinforcing sheet on the front side of the protector having a rearwardly projecting tongue secured in overlying relation to said auxiliary strip and said crotch.

2. In a hand protector embodying a hand section and a digit section, the combination of an auxiliary strip secured to the rear side of the protector adjacent to the crotch between said hand and digit sections and in overlying relation to said crotch, a second strip extending from the front side of the protector through said crotch in overlying relation to the first mentioned strip, and means for securing said strips in place.

3. In a hand protecting device of the character described, the combination of a protecting covering having a part folded and secured upon itself to provide a thumb stall and having another part adjacent to said thumb stall rearwardly turned and secured to provide protection for the index finger portion of the hand, a relatively narrow strip of wear resisting material extending through the crotch between the thumb stall and the index finger protecting portion of the device, a reinforcing sheet secured in overlying relation to the front wear surfaces of the device and having a. portion thereof extending through said crotch over said strip and across an adjacent portion of the rear of the device, and means for securing the parts together.

4. In a hand protecting device of the character described, the combination of a protecting covering having a part folded and secured upon itself to provide a thumb stall and having another part adjacent to said thumb stall rearwardly turned to provide a curl for protecting the index portion of. the hand, an insert piece secured to the rearwardly turned part of the glove and to the rear side of the thumb stall, an integral tab on said insert piece located to be extended through the crotch at the base of the thumb stall and into overlying relation with the front face of the protector, a reinforcing member substantially covering the front face of the protector and including an integral part located to extend through said crotch in overlying relation to said tab and to a portion of said insert, and means for securing the parts in assembled relation.

KARL E. JENSEN. 

